Recently, it has become more and more popular in respect of photographic reproduction techniques to produce longer and longer “panoramic” views of an image. These images can be produced on photographic paper or the like and the structure of the image is normally to have longer and longer lengths in comparison to the width so as to produce the more “panoramic” type views.
Unfortunately, this imposes a problem where the photographic paper to be imaged upon originally was stored on a roll of small diameter.
For example, referring to FIG. 1, the print media upon which an image is to be printed can be stored on a small roll 3 for an indefinite period of time. The storage on the roll 3 can often impart a semi-permanent “curl” to the paper 4. Subsequently, a portion of the roll 3 is unrolled as required and an image 5 is deposited on the media by means of printing and/or photographic imaging. The print media with its image 5 is normally held in place by means of rollers so as to ensure an accurate, flat, plane surface is provided for any imaging device utilising the print media. At a subsequent phase of the processing the print media is normally cut into desired length and stacked in a “sheet” form 6.
However, when the print media is stored for long periods of time in a tightly curled roll, the print media 4 can take on a memory characteristic due to being curled around roller 3 for the extended period of time. Hence, images produced utilizing this process can often include an unwanted curl 7 consequential upon being tightly curled around roll 3. This is generally an undesirable characteristic. Of course, one way to overcome this problem is to increase the circumference of roll 3 and to thereby flatten the circumference of any paper roll around the roll 3. However, increasing the circumference of roll 3 is not desirable should it be required to include the roll 3 in a portable hand held type camera device. The portable nature of such a device requires as small a roll 3 as possible thereby leading to increasing levels of curl.